Lawrence Okoye, the British discus record holder, admitted on Sunday that he
faced a “ridiculously tough process” in his new career as an NFL player
after landing a professional contract with the San Francisco 49ers despite
not having played a single game of American football in his life.

Focused on the prize: Lawrence Okoye has much to learn about American football, but he has impressive attributes, according to his new coachesPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

The 21-year-old Londoner, who was ranked fifth in the discus in the world last year and qualified for the Olympic final in London, missed out on selection in the NFL draft but immediately afterwards was offered a free-agent deal by the Super Bowl runners-up.

“It’s amazing for me,” said Okoye, who was sounded out by a number of teams after impressing talent scouts at non-contact trials in Atlanta and Dallas but chose the 49ers because they were the most welcoming and the “most persistent”.

“I’m absolutely delighted about how things have turned out. I think the 49ers are the best fit in the league for what I’m trying to do,” said Okoye. “They have the same vision as me. This could be a great success story.”

Okoye, a talented schoolboy rugby union player before switching to the discus three years ago, is so new to American football that he has tried on a pair of shoulder pads and helmet only once in his life, though what he offers is a colossal 6ft 6in, 304lb frame and explosive power and sprint speed – physical attributes the 49ers hope to harness as they attempt to mould him in to a defensive end.

After agreeing the deal, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Okoye: “He’s just an Adonis, just a great physical specimen of a man. I can think of some other adjectives. Our Creator created a beautiful man.”

But Okoye admitted he faced a “long, hard road” to acquire the skills he needs to make the most of his physical advantages and make it to the first-team roster. His development will be overseen by the 49ers’ defensive line coach, Jim Tomsula, who has a background in teaching players with little American football experience following a spell as head coach of Rhein Fire in the now defunct NFL Europe.

“There’s a huge amount to pick up,” said Okoye. “I’ve learnt as much about the game as I can without actually playing it but I’m still an outsider looking in. But they’ve made it clear that I shouldn’t stress and that they’re going to teach me everything from scratch. It will be similar to the journey I had learning the discus with my coach, John Hillier.

“I started from the basics such as how to hold a discus and how to flick it off your fingers and I moved up from level one to level 100. I plan on doing the same thing with football.”

A spokesman for Okoye’s management company declined to discuss the terms of the 49ers’ deal other than to confirm that it represented “a long-term commitment” by the team.

But an NFL spokesman confirmed that, under the salary cap structure, Okoye could expect to earn around £90,000 a year as a member of the practice squad, which would rise to £260,000 if he made the full roster. The rewards run in to many millions a year for the top NFL players.

Although Okoye has not ruled out a return to athletics later in his career, his decision to swap the throwing circle for the gridiron is a bitter blow for UK Athletics, which had marked him out as a future medallist at world and Olympic level.

UK Athletics head coach Peter Eriksson said: “It’s a tremendous loss to the discus but we wish him well in his new pursuit and look forward to seeing him back in the sport sometime in the future.”